Labourer With A Death Wish.... I saved his life.
 

I was coming off the SZR the yesterday (exit to Ibn Battuta) and there was a group of labourers on the left of the exit road (I was in the right hand lane)
I had an eye on them and there was a car slightly behind me in the left lane.

Anyways, there I was trundling along minding my own (I was doing about 100kph and slowing for the exit) when one brave or stupid or possible blind labourer decided he would leave his little group and bolt across the exit road about 20 metres in front of me.

I slammed my brakes on but because I am still renting this piece of shite Lancer, it locked up due to the lack of ABS, I was heading right for him, so I had to take evasive and drastic action otherwise he was a dead man.

I swerved to avoid him into the left lane that he had already crossed, the back end of my car came out massively, dropped it down into LS to get the revs up and I had to do a full on power down with an arab flick to get her straight again. It was quite impressive and I am convinced that anyone else would have either killed the labourer or smashed their car up trying to avoid him.

So, thank God my quick reactions and driving abilitiy saved all, I hope him and his little group of friends have learnt a lesson and will learn the Green Cross Code.

Re: Labourer With A Death Wish.... I saved his life.
 

maybe he wanted to die?

Re: Labourer With A Death Wish.... I saved his life.
 

[QUOTE=Bison;7235021]
...the back end of my car came out massively, dropped it down into LS to get the revs up and I had to do a full on power down with an arab flick to get her straight again. /QUOTE]Sorry Bison but can we have a layman's translation, please...a drawing would suffice.

Re: Labourer With A Death Wish.... I saved his life.
 

I was just having a conversation with a colleague and he said a lot of these guys run out on purpose to get injured so they can get compensation payouts.

Ok well I can't provide a drawing at this stage, but basically as I was skidding towards him, the cars wheels had locked up due to no ABS, I was skidding toward him, so I had to swerve into the left lane to avoid him, but there was a car in the left lane slightly behind me, so as I swerved whilst braking the back end of the car began to slide out, I had to flick the car to the right (I call this the Arab Flick, see attached you tube video of serious car control using the flick here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W1bSKw0SkE) and as I flicked it back to the right I had to power down the gas out of the skid, thus straightening my car up, avoiding said labourer and avoiding hitting the car which was slightly behind me and to my left.

Bison

Re: Labourer With A Death Wish.... I saved his life.
 

I doubt that as they will also get some jail time and probable deportation for jaywalking.

Re: Labourer With A Death Wish.... I saved his life.
 

If you were half the driver you seem to think you are you wouldn't have 'locked up' in the first place, you'd have been using a technique called 'cadence braking' and avoided completely the backend coming out massively.
Your use of 'lack of ABS' as an excuse for getting into this situation merely indicates a reliance on technology and a subsequent lack of true driving ability.

Re: Labourer With A Death Wish.... I saved his life.
 

I considered cadence braking my friend, I am no stranger to it, but there simply wasn't time. I am sure you can appreciate that things like this happen in a split second. Cadence braking on this occasion was definately not an option. By the way, if you read up I 'lost the back end' on purpose by implementing the 'arab flick' and basically drifting around the guy. I would say that is pretty impressive, especially in an automatic FWD car!

Re: Labourer With A Death Wish.... I saved his life.
 

thats exactly what i was going to say. ta porky.

also i would like to point out that a good driver makes an allowance for the unexpected, he should also have slowed to a point where an extreme braking /steering maneuver wasnt needed at all.....after all its not as though folk crossing the road here right in front of you is uncommon


oh and its a scandinavian flick is it not, a rally driving technique originally

Re: Labourer With A Death Wish.... I saved his life.
 

I know it is and I even met the guy who invented it, but over here I call it the arab flick ok!

Don't give me all this BS about allowing for someone to run out in front of you on a Motorway, it's the first time it's happened to me in this country and I've been here over a year, he bolted across the road like a deer in the cotswolds ffs!

I had 20 metres and that is not much distance at all when you are coming off a motorway at speed.

At the end of the day, you might have other methods but that fact is, the guy is still alive and my car is in one piece, so I guess the way I chose in that split second worked and if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Re: Labourer With A Death Wish.... I saved his life.
 

you said there were a few at the side of the road obviously looking to cross, is it rocket science to assume that that is what they may actually do?
and if that is the first time its happened to you then you are fortunate because it happens all the bloody time

Re: Labourer With A Death Wish.... I saved his life.
 

If you are no stranger to it you'd understand the point of cadence braking is about maintaining control and avoiding lock up both of which would have enabled you to get out of such a situation it's not so much about stopping.
To argue 'there simply wasn't time' is simply spurious and shows a lack of confidence in executing this technique.

Re: Labourer With A Death Wish.... I saved his life.
 

So if you were doing say 100kph and there was a brick wall in front of you and you were driving a Lancer which has shit brakes instead of Brembro Grooved and Vented Discs, your saying you could avoid the wall using the cadence method? :rofl:

Joker

Re: Labourer With A Death Wish.... I saved his life.
 

mmm, what a ridiculous argument, why would I be driving at 100kph with a brick wall in front of me ?
I'd be driving at a speed to suit the conditions, something it appears you have yet to learn (i.e not at 100kph in a car with shit brakes with labourers within 20 metres of you) ?

And again you have missed the point of cadence braking, it's not about stopping !!

Re: Labourer With A Death Wish.... I saved his life.
 

Did you stop to give the running man a piece of your mind ?

Re: Labourer With A Death Wish.... I saved his life.
 

Are you a complete tosser or something?

You wouldn't be driving at that speed with a brick wall in front of you (I was speaking hypothetically)

But let's say the brick wall just jumped out in front of you, would you be able to avoid it using cadence braking, probably not.

In my case the labourer was not in the middle of the road, do you think I would just carry on driving towards a person in the middle of the road without slowing down, don't be stupid.

The road was clear and the labourer bolted out at the last second, cadence braking would 100% not have avoided me hitting the labourer, it merely would have made the impact less severe.

My method however saved him from getting intimate with the front of my car and kept everybody and my car in one piece.

Cadence braking is fantastic and I agree with you that it works, but depends which situation you are in, I adapted to the situation I was in as I knew it was the only viable option.

Some drivers who are taught the cadence method and that stick to it are not necessarily adapting to the situation are they?

Bison